SHSelfHostIndex

Stalwart Mail Server vs mpop

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted mail servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
ST Stalwart Mail Server Modern all-in-one mail server in a single binary VS MP mpop Small POP3 client for retrieving mail
FeatureStalwart Mail Servermpop
CategoryMail ServersMail Servers
LicenseAGPL-3.0GPL-3.0
LanguageRustC
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM512 MB16 MB
Deploymentdocker, binary, bare-metalbinary, source
GitHub stars★ 14,059★ 19
First released20202005
ReplacesMicrosoft Exchange, Google Workspacefetchmail

Why pick each one

Choose Stalwart Mail Server if…

  • Single modern binary
  • Strong security defaults
Stalwart Mail Server details

Choose mpop if…

  • Released under the GPL-3.0 license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • Written in C
  • Tiny footprint — runs in 16 MB RAM
mpop details

Frequently asked questions

Is Stalwart Mail Server or mpop better?

Neither is universally better. Stalwart Mail Server has the larger community, while mpop is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are Stalwart Mail Server and mpop free and open-source?

Yes. Stalwart Mail Server is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and mpop under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Stalwart Mail Server and mpop with Docker?

Stalwart Mail Server: yes. mpop: check the project docs for container support.

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